Utards: Avie in Silver Fork

All,

Many thanks for your thoughts, prayers and +vibes. Also, special thanks to those good friends that called, e-mailed or sent pm's; I got them all and heard them all. Sorry, for not responding to each of you individually .... obviously other things were being taken care of during that time - but they do mean alot.

I don't think any of us involved are ready to respond as we'd like to you yet (and as I'm sure you'd all like for us to), but over the next few days or week one us will try and get something up to share with this community as well as the folks over at TTips and Couloir as many of you are our touring partners, dear friends or just otherwise can hopefully learn from the errors in our judgement.

Thanks again.

Stay strong my man.

Laying in bed this morning, drinking the first cup of coffee, and hear the Today show say something about an avi in Utah. Actually jolted me out of my pnenonia induced stupor and saw the interviews. I figured that at least one or two were maggots. Glad to hear everyone is doing fine! Taking the becons deer hunting this weekend, time to do some practice. ++++vibes+++

Jay

quoted from the avy report

" It should be noted that this was a text book example of a perfect rescue which was accomplished only because the touring party had the proper rescue gear and was trained in using it."


-whatever else happened I want to give big props for the obvious skills that kept our boy steve alive. Thank you for your training and thank you for saving our friend.

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Originally Posted by frozenwater

quoted from the avy report

" It should be noted that this was a text book example of a perfect rescue which was accomplished only because the touring party had the proper rescue gear and was trained in using it."


-whatever else happened I want to give big props for the obvious skills that kept our boy steve alive. Thank you for your training and thank you for saving our friend.

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Well said, Frozen. I wish I had said this.

I don't know X yet; but, Steve and West are such good people. I have been choked up several times just thinking about how things could have resulted. So happy that the outcome was good. Props for rescue skills and vibes to familes.

Yikes...Good to hear everyone is ok out there, good work with the rescue.

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Originally Posted by Xover

All,

I don't think any of us involved are ready to respond as we'd like to you yet (and as I'm sure you'd all like for us to), but over the next few days or week one us will try and get something up to share with this community as well as the folks over at TTips and Couloir as many of you are our touring partners, dear friends or just otherwise can hopefully learn from the errors in our judgement.

Thanks again.

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I am sure everyone here wants to hear details, but do it on your time, not ours. I, for one , want to learn from this, what you did right (great beacon work) and what went wrong. Take your time,and stay strong.

Props for a great rescue, and all coming home alive. + vibs for all.:yourock:

Thanks for the update X. You guys are all in our thoughts!

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Originally Posted by frozenwater

quoted from the avy report

" It should be noted that this was a text book example of a perfect rescue which was accomplished only because the touring party had the proper rescue gear and was trained in using it."


-whatever else happened I want to give big props for the obvious skills that kept our boy steve alive. Thank you for your training and thank you for saving our friend.

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Just saw a video on MSNBC covering this and thought they weren't as specific, they said similar.

+++++vibes+++++

Happy to hear everyone is alright.
I'm sure this will keep everyone on their toes too, which is good.

Seeing this thread scared the shit out of me. I'm glad you all are okay.
+++++++++++++vibes+++++++++++++++sent+++++++++++++ +++++

X- you are a solid fucker - great friend to have in the backcountry - good to know that training and thinking CAN make a difference.

Also, glad I got an ABS from mtnlion.

Hope to ski with you guys this winter - maybe you need to come visit skiddeep, shredhead, phatty (he moved back to town) and me in A-town.

Best to all three of you guys

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Originally Posted by Xover

All,

Many thanks for your thoughts, prayers and +vibes. Also, special thanks to those good friends that called, e-mailed or sent pm's; I got them all and heard them all. Sorry, for not responding to each of you individually .... obviously other things were being taken care of during that time - but they do mean alot.

I don't think any of us involved are ready to respond as we'd like to you yet (and as I'm sure you'd all like for us to), but over the next few days or week one us will try and get something up to share with this community as well as the folks over at TTips and Couloir as many of you are our touring partners, dear friends or just otherwise can hopefully learn from the errors in our judgement.

Thanks again.

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Whenever you're ready buddy, take your time.

Also, Steve and Jason are now the first people I know who have been on national television


edit: shit, linking to the video isn't working. go here http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032633/ and scroll down to the list of stories below the picture of shrub.

I got cold chills reading this. Went to the FOBP Avy awareness lecture in denver last night, then saw this today. Huge praise to the group for staying focused and on the required task, and courageous, during a time of what must have been utter shock. This is enormously humbling, and simultaneously amazing. Recover well; I'm glad you have such a great network with fellow maggs.

I'm late to the party again, nothing really to add other than I am glad no lives were lost and no one was seriously physically injured.

Stay safe out there, I want to be able to randomly run into you folks in Utah (and elsewhere) for years to come.

I have been actually working instead of following this and just yelled a "Holy Shit" in my office.


I must say it was nice to see that:
1. Everyone came out alive
2. The media showed this as a textbook self rescue and hopefully others were made aware of the training needed.
3. Everyone is still alive!!!


X, please do stick around. You have a lovely little girl that needs a dad. Steve will soon feel that joy as well.

I am reminded of last years thread with DTM. We all would like to not be reminded in this way anymore buddy. Prayers sent.

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Originally Posted by Karl Stall

good to know that training and thinking CAN make a difference.

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Um, no. This is a text book case where training and thinking completely failed. These guys shouldn't be getting kudos for acting stupid. The only reason he is alive is luck.

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Originally Posted by Treepinner

Um, no. This is a text book case where training and thinking completely failed. These guys shouldn't be getting kudos for acting stupid. The only reason he is alive is luck.

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Hey Jongfuck--go cunt up someone else's thread. There may have been some questionable decisions made, but that is for neither you nor I to say. And luck being the only reason he's alive is a crock of shit. He's alive because two other skiers executed a solid rescue. The slide may have been one of ignorance or a lack in judgement, the rescue, on the other hand, was well executed. Come back to the board when your head falls out of your ass.

WOW, glad to hear Steve is okay. I'm an emotional mix of shock and relief - congrats to the men who saved his life. I hope the recovery process is a relatively short one. Positive thoughts in your direction - all of you. Be safe out there.

Just read the thread. Glad everyone made it out alive.

I'm glad everyone is alright ,I hope others take heed & be careful!

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Originally Posted by Treepinner

Um, no. This is a text book case where training and thinking completely failed. These guys shouldn't be getting kudos for acting stupid. The only reason he is alive is luck.

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The guys involved have either publicly or privately admitted that they ignored obvious warning signs of instability.

I'm quite sure Karl Stall was referring to the search and following rescue/revival of the buried victim as the "training and thinking" that made a difference.

There was luck involved, certainly. But it took both luck and the skills these guys had to make everything come out OK.

I'm sure you've never ignored any obvious warning signs out there. Kudos to you.:rolleyes2

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Originally Posted by Treepinner

Um, no. This is a text book case where training and thinking completely failed. These guys shouldn't be getting kudos for acting stupid. The only reason he is alive is luck.

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Ya know, shit happens out there. You can take all the precautions you think are appropriate and something can still happen. It's how a person deals with adversity when it hits them that matters. Maybe with some different decisions, they might not have been caught but we don't know the circumstances regarding that. The fact is, they did get caught but then put their experience, training, and equipment to work for them and all came out of it safe and alive. So saying it is only luck is absolute bullshit. The crew deserves huge kudos for the rescue. It's fortunate they all came out of this but it certainly wasn't just about luck. Back to your hole, friend.

Not much skill involved with following a modern beacon and getting a hit on the first probe. This should have been a multi-burial with possibly only one person to do the rescue of two others... that would take skill. If there was major trauma to Otter, or CPR was necessary, that would take skill. If they had to evac him from a remote area, that would take skill. They just followed a beeping light, dug a hole, and called for a helicopter. You all can bury your heads in the snow all ya want but that kid will have a father around due to luck and little more. Glad he made it out, of course.

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Originally Posted by Treepinner

Not much skill involved with following a modern beacon and getting a hit on the first probe. This should have been a multi-burial with possibly only one person to do the rescue of two others... that would take skill. If there was major trauma to Otter, or CPR was necessary, that would take skill. If they had to evac him from a remote area, that would take skill. They just followed a beeping light, dug a hole, and called for a helicopter. You all can bury your heads in the snow all ya want but that kid will have a father around due to luck and little more. Glad he made it out, of course.

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Yep. Super easy to "follow a beeping light" when your buddy is buried under the snow and running out of air. No pressure. No reason to panic. It's like taking a sip of lemonade on a cool summer evening. Quite thoughtless, in fact...:rolleyes:

treepinner really needs to ummmmmm go eat a d!ck? let's see if he would do any better. i have been working on my avie knowledge for six or 7 years and am still not sure that if i needed to i wouldn't panic. what a grrrrrrrr

Clearly Treepinner is right that a poor decision was made. Why he feels compelled to point out what everyone already knows, I'm not sure. And why he feels compelled to denigrate the well-executed rescue effort, which saved a life, well, I don't know that, either. And why he thinks it makes him seem like a big man to say what he has said can only be because he's a hater with a little dick. Clearly.

Even using the best beacon, locating someone, probing and digging them out from 4 feet under quick enough to save a life takes skill and practice.

Not panicking under the circumstances is a result of practice and skills. Sure, it's fairly easy to find a transceiver in practice but in a real life setting, with the clock ticking, remembering to organize the search, make sure all the beacons are on receive, and implementing a successful search through avie debris is a lot different scenario than simply finding the beacon in a field. Just because the resulting burial didn't meet an individual's requirements to qualify as a true test of skills doesn't mean it wasn't a true test of the mettle of the rescuers.

In any event, I'm glad to see that all came out of this relatively good. Nice work to all of you.

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Originally Posted by phUnk

The guys involved have either publicly or privately admitted that they ignored obvious warning signs of instability.

I'm quite sure Karl Stall was referring to the search and following rescue/revival of the buried victim as the "training and thinking" that made a difference.

There was luck involved, certainly. But it took both luck and the skills these guys had to make everything come out OK.

I'm sure you've never ignored any obvious warning signs out there. Kudos to you.:rolleyes2

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Treepinner, this ^^ says it quite well.

Nicely written Pstar.

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Originally Posted by Buzzworthy

Treepinner, this ^^ says it quite well.

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He's knows. He's just trolling with holier-than-thou bullshit. Whoop-de-doo.

Missed this thread! Glad everyone got out of that!

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Originally Posted by Treepinner

Not much skill involved with following a modern beacon and getting a hit on the first probe. This should have been a multi-burial with possibly only one person to do the rescue of two others... that would take skill. If there was major trauma to Otter, or CPR was necessary, that would take skill. If they had to evac him from a remote area, that would take skill. They just followed a beeping light, dug a hole, and called for a helicopter. You all can bury your heads in the snow all ya want but that kid will have a father around due to luck and little more. Glad he made it out, of course.

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you are a worthless piece of panty waste. For you to pump this board with your rantings of conjecture is not only insensitve, but also useless. These guys obviously acted and thought with a sense of clarity you cannot even fathom . Their actions did save lives.

These guys are brothers, friends, skiers, and dads. Show some respect you deadbeat.

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Originally Posted by Blurreds_left_nut

Show some respect you deadbeat.

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Maybe there should be a rule that aliai aren't allowed to make serious call-outs. :rolleyes2

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Originally Posted by phUnk

He's knows. He's just trolling with holier-than-thou bullshit. Whoop-de-doo.

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It's trolling, but a lot of us are sure waiting to hear what happened out there after X's report and soul searching from the Y last year...

Obviously, good job on the rescue and thrilled that everyone made it out safely.

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Originally Posted by shamrockpow

It's trolling, but a lot of us are sure waiting to hear what happened out there after X's report and soul searching from the Y last year...

Obviously, good job on the rescue and thrilled that everyone made it out safely.

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One can only speculate so far on the decision making process that lead to the Silver Fork avy. But I think it's pretty obvious to us all that they realize they screwed up, something I think most of us have done at some point in our lives, but perhaps with lesser consequences.

I can say for myself, that over the last two seasons of touring 80-100 days/year, that I have put myself in about one potentially fatal avy scenario each year. And I'm sure many others here have too. In both cases, I knew the danger, but didn't act accordingly. One of the scenarios, I could have killed myself and my wife.

I consider myself a very conservative person, generally backing away or out of multiple scenarios that don't feel right. But we all make mistakes, and to ridicule someone for doing so is largely hypocritical.

X, I always knew you were a sound touring buddy and given the results of your beacon.rescue skills you can be my O-face gaper-gap wing man anytime. Looking forward to when you'll get back on the horse and ride.

http://www.biglines.com/photos/blpic29100.jpg

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Originally Posted by Trackhead

But we all make mistakes, and to ridicule someone for doing so is largely hypocritical.

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Well said.

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Originally Posted by Treepinner

Not much skill involved with following a modern beacon and getting a hit on the first probe. This should have been a multi-burial with possibly only one person to do the rescue of two others... that would take skill. If there was major trauma to Otter, or CPR was necessary, that would take skill. If they had to evac him from a remote area, that would take skill. They just followed a beeping light, dug a hole, and called for a helicopter. You all can bury your heads in the snow all ya want but that kid will have a father around due to luck and little more. Glad he made it out, of course.

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I think I can speak on behalf of the TGR community when I tell you to GO FUCK YOURSELF you STUPID FUCK.

Who fucking cares if the rescue was easy or hard? The important thing is that it was excecuted perfectly and saved a life. I have no idea how you can find negatives in that.